1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method and system for watering a lawn. More particularly, the invention pertains to a portable knockdown above ground water manifold, watering system, and method for establishing the growth of a new lawn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of watering systems and devices are known in the art. Maintenance of a healthy lawn or yard requires sufficient amounts of water to be properly distributed. Most existing watering systems tend to fall into two general categories, in ground or buried watering systems and above ground watering systems.
In ground watering systems generally involve buried water supply lines and a number of permanently located sprinkler heads. Timers and control systems are used to operate these systems to provide for various types of watering parameters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,861, issued to Hopkins et al., discloses an in ground irrigation method and control system for watering a plurality of watering stations spaced about a lawn or garden. U.S. Pat. No. 3,578,245, issued to Brock, discloses an in ground watering system having a plurality of buried valves which actuate pop up sprinklers. While in ground systems do provide a satisfactory means for watering a lawn, they suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, they are expensive to install, they can suffer from high frequency of repairs in climates where the buried lines are susceptible to freezing and cracking, and their permanence can adversely affect a homeowners future plans for landscaping or other building modifications.
Above ground watering systems and devices do not suffer from the disadvantages seen with in ground systems. Most above ground systems typically involve a garden hose connected to a water sprinkling device which is positioned at a particular location. For example, many styles of oscillating or rotating sprinklers are known in the art. One of the most significant disadvantages of above ground systems involves the amount of responsibility placed on the user to have to move the devices to different locations and to remember to turn on and off the water which supplies the devices.
In the establishment of a new lawn whether the lawn is seeded or sodded, the requirement for repetitive amounts of watering is very important. If a lawn is seeded, the germination times for most blends of grass will fall in the range of three to twenty-one days, with annual rye grass seed at the three day range and bluegrasses in the fourteen to twenty-one day range. If a lawn is sodded, the need exists for the sod to grow new roots. During this time period, which is usually the first three weeks, it is imperative that the entire new lawn is repetitively supplied with sufficient amounts of water or the sod or seed will fail.
In new home and commercial construction, landscaping and the establishment of a healthy lawn plays an important role in both sales and the potential liability of the contractor or individual responsible for laying down the initial sodding or seeding. Existing in ground and above ground watering systems fail to provide an inexpensive and reliable watering system for the establishment of a new lawn. Therefore, the need exists for an inexpensive portable above ground watering system that can aid in the establishment of a new lawn during this critical time period.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the above ground watering system and method of the present invention differs from those previously proposed.